Dread Gods is a new series from IDW that blends science fiction and reality very well. We peer inside to to give you a heads up on the quality and worthiness of your dime.
So what’s it about?
The official summary reads:
Ominous Press launches with the first of three limited series set in a science-fiction/fantasy universe of epic heroes and insidious villains. In DREAD GODS, gods in a fantasy world discover they’re actually monsters in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Acclaimed creators Ron Marz and Tom Raney join with art master Bart Sears to usher in adventure like no other! Includes a backup tale by Bart Sears, and a wealth of added content.
Why does this book matter?
Ron Marz writes this story and if you’re a longtime comic reader he’s always one to have on your radar. Marz is an excellent writer who went on to work at Crossgen comics. The guy gets hero stories and this one will most likely deliver.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Future TV is really into Greek myth eh?
Right off the bat, the art by Tom Raney drew me into this story as the characters have cartoonish looks to their faces and are set against highly detailed backgrounds and environments that make the art really stand out. The opening pages show the world that’s crumbling, dirty, and dark so that when things switch to the god world (more on that later) you get a very clear definition of how to feel. The god world is clean and open with strong and beautiful gods walking about. Then a Hydra shows up and Raney blows you away with some cool blur effects. It’s very dynamic. There are various gods too and they all look quite sharp and unique from each other. It’s a good looking book that’ll have you enjoying what the regular folks have plugged into.
“Plugged into,” you might say? That’s right, Marz quickly shows but does not tell what is going on, which has the reader attempting to figure out what they’re seeing. Opening with a man in a wheelchair who nobody gives mind–or cares to help–the man plugs into what looks like some kind of telephone booth TV system that you literally jack into your neck. It then proceeds to show an epic battle between gods and presumably the character who plugged in experienced it all first hand. Future entertainment you might say? The fact is the comic ends with the character willing to do something about what happened in the story, which leaves the reader wondering where things could go from here. Marz is a master storyteller and it’s obvious there will be layers to this comic series. I can’t wait for more.
He looks kinda sad.
It can’t be perfect can it?
That said, there isn’t a lot to dig your teeth into. You’ll be left presuming or guessing at the very least as to what is going on and where the story might go. As an opening salvo, your interest will be high, but the buy-in isn’t there yet. It appears the hook of the series will have to come in issue #2, which is unfortunate as it makes this first issue feel two or three pages short. You’re left wanting more, in part because you’re interested, but also because you don’t really know what is happening.
Is It Good?
An interesting comic for sure that’ll have you asking questions, not unlike what the television series Lost did for millions. It’ll also make you slightly frustrated since there aren’t enough answers to gather the whole truth. Still, an entertaining series with what appears to be a cool sci-fi concept.
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